Audubon Insectarium starts new ant colony

Zack Lemann (left) and Jayme Necaise of Audubon Nature Institute, work with ants at the Audubon Insectarium.

Associated Press

STEPHEN BABCOCKThe Times-Picayune

Published: Tuesday, July 27, 2010 at 8:00 a.m.

Last Modified: Thursday, July 22, 2010 at 1:43 p.m.

NEW ORLEANS — As dozens of ants crawled up Jayme Necaise's arms, the entomologist braced for a bite.

But the threat of a handful of escapees wasn't enough to distract his focus from the task at hand: transferring tens of thousands of Texas leafcutter ants into new display cases at the Audubon Insectarium in anticipation of reopening the exhibit today after a monthlong hiatus.

"It's a very healthy colony," he said.

Necaise and fellow entomologist Zack Lemann put themselves at risk of serious itching July 12 as they worked to transfer a new ant colony into the exhibit, which closed a month ago after its queen died.

Surviving worker ants from the old colony were merged with the new group earlier in the day.

The ants are housed in six clear, plastic compartments connected by a series of tunnels in an exhibit that is about the size of a large fish tank. The man-made exhibit is a smaller version of the underground colonies leafcutters build in the wild. About 18 inches down in the dirt, the ants, native to Texas and Louisiana, form sprawling societies about the size of a large bulldozer, Lemann said.

The ants are unique because they produce and cultivate huge fungus gardens within their colonies, Lemann said. Using their jaws, they nip small fragments of leaves from plants and trees, then spit out the fungus.

Before reopening the exhibit, museum staffers wanted to replace the old plastic compartments with new, clean ones. But to move the ants, they had to scoop up the critters with a kitchen spatula, then transfer them to their new containers.

Looming was the risk that the ants could swarm their arms, or escape. Lemann and Necaise wore latex gloves and placed a chemical coating at the top of the storage container. Both preparations were supposed to repel the ants, but some ants still broke out of the containers.

"They have minds of their own," Necaise said, as thousands of ants rushed around the plastic container.

The ants are also resistant to change, said animal collections assistant manager Lauren Thibault as she fastened the clear cases shut with a hot glue gun.

With their bountiful gardens upended by a spatula, they were feeling disoriented.

"At the moment, they're running around screaming," she said.

The leafcutter ants move freely between the six cases in the exhibit. The exhibit also includes an area with crepe myrtle, hibiscus and tallow foliage. The ants ingest leaves from those plants to create the fungus.

No matter what types of leaves the ants eat, they always produce the same kind of fungus, Lemann said.

Like leafcutter colonies in nature, the insectarium's miniaturized habitat houses one queen. But before building a colony, a queen is not alone.

Between February and March, virgin queens and males from multiple colonies swarm in order to mate, Lemann said. Termite swarms on view around New Orleans lampposts in late spring are undergoing the same process, he said.

"If you're in the right place at the right time, it's literally raining ants," Lemann said.

Once the queens mate, they lose their wings. The males die, leaving the females to build the colonies. The queens can live up for up to a decade, while the workers that do their bidding live an average of several months, Lemann said.

The queen did not show herself Monday. Lemann said she was probably reigning over the colony from deep within the fungus.

Scientists marvel at leafcutter ants for their fungus gardens and ability to create huge colonies. But, as Lemann and Necaise were well aware, they can also be a nuisance to humans.

Like the fire ants feared in Southeast Louisiana, leafcutters swarm and attack, but they bite instead of stinging. The jaws are made to cut leaves, but they are not as painful to humans as fire ants' stingers, Lemann said.

As Necaise scooped up a pile of fungus, an ant landed on his leg and bit him.

"You get a little pinch and a little ouch, but you don't get a big welt," he said.

<p>NEW ORLEANS — As dozens of ants crawled up Jayme Necaise's arms, the entomologist braced for a bite.</p><p>But the threat of a handful of escapees wasn't enough to distract his focus from the task at hand: transferring tens of thousands of Texas leafcutter ants into new display cases at the Audubon Insectarium in anticipation of reopening the exhibit today after a monthlong hiatus.</p><p>"It's a very healthy colony," he said.</p><p>Necaise and fellow entomologist Zack Lemann put themselves at risk of serious itching July 12 as they worked to transfer a new ant colony into the exhibit, which closed a month ago after its queen died.</p><p>Surviving worker ants from the old colony were merged with the new group earlier in the day.</p><p>The ants are housed in six clear, plastic compartments connected by a series of tunnels in an exhibit that is about the size of a large fish tank. The man-made exhibit is a smaller version of the underground colonies leafcutters build in the wild. About 18 inches down in the dirt, the ants, native to Texas and Louisiana, form sprawling societies about the size of a large bulldozer, Lemann said.</p><p>The ants are unique because they produce and cultivate huge fungus gardens within their colonies, Lemann said. Using their jaws, they nip small fragments of leaves from plants and trees, then spit out the fungus.</p><p>Before reopening the exhibit, museum staffers wanted to replace the old plastic compartments with new, clean ones. But to move the ants, they had to scoop up the critters with a kitchen spatula, then transfer them to their new containers.</p><p>Looming was the risk that the ants could swarm their arms, or escape. Lemann and Necaise wore latex gloves and placed a chemical coating at the top of the storage container. Both preparations were supposed to repel the ants, but some ants still broke out of the containers.</p><p>"They have minds of their own," Necaise said, as thousands of ants rushed around the plastic container.</p><p>The ants are also resistant to change, said animal collections assistant manager Lauren Thibault as she fastened the clear cases shut with a hot glue gun.</p><p>With their bountiful gardens upended by a spatula, they were feeling disoriented.</p><p>"At the moment, they're running around screaming," she said.</p><p>The leafcutter ants move freely between the six cases in the exhibit. The exhibit also includes an area with crepe myrtle, hibiscus and tallow foliage. The ants ingest leaves from those plants to create the fungus.</p><p>No matter what types of leaves the ants eat, they always produce the same kind of fungus, Lemann said.</p><p>Like leafcutter colonies in nature, the insectarium's miniaturized habitat houses one queen. But before building a colony, a queen is not alone.</p><p>Between February and March, virgin queens and males from multiple colonies swarm in order to mate, Lemann said. Termite swarms on view around New Orleans lampposts in late spring are undergoing the same process, he said.</p><p>"If you're in the right place at the right time, it's literally raining ants," Lemann said.</p><p>Once the queens mate, they lose their wings. The males die, leaving the females to build the colonies. The queens can live up for up to a decade, while the workers that do their bidding live an average of several months, Lemann said.</p><p>The queen did not show herself Monday. Lemann said she was probably reigning over the colony from deep within the fungus.</p><p>Scientists marvel at leafcutter ants for their fungus gardens and ability to create huge colonies. But, as Lemann and Necaise were well aware, they can also be a nuisance to humans.</p><p>Like the fire ants feared in Southeast Louisiana, leafcutters swarm and attack, but they bite instead of stinging. The jaws are made to cut leaves, but they are not as painful to humans as fire ants' stingers, Lemann said.</p><p>As Necaise scooped up a pile of fungus, an ant landed on his leg and bit him.</p><p>"You get a little pinch and a little ouch, but you don't get a big welt," he said.</p>